The present invention relates to a load carrier for motor vehicles, which load carrier is designed to be attached to a tow bar device mounted at the rear of the vehicle and which is arranged to be at least partly movable to an aside open position in order to allow opening of a rear door on the vehicle.
A large variety of load carriers are marketed today, which are intended for mounting on the exterior of vehicles, particularly passenger cars, in order to increase the vehicle load capacity. Some of these load carriers are adapted for attachment to a tow bar device mounted at the rear of the vehicle. One problem arising in connection therewith is, however, that the load carrier and its cargo obstruct the rear vehicle door, preventing it from being opened to make objects inside the car accessible. The only solution to date has been to disconnect the load carrier from the tow bar device. Some load carriers are constructed to allow them to assume an opening position, which in most cases involves pivoting the load carrier in a downward rearward direction, known in the art as xe2x80x9ctiltingxe2x80x9d. However, this is an inconvenient operation, since the tilting devices often are difficult to reach, dirty, and tiresome to operate.
The present invention solves the above problem in an elegant way while at the same time no additional demands on the vehicle or its tow bar device become necessary. In order to achieve this, the load carrier is arranged in such a manner that its opening position may be assumed with the aid of an electric motor, that the engine current supply is obtained from one of the pins of a regular electric trailor connector of the vehicle, and that its transmission is reversible by means of an electric reversing device. In an easily accessible and simple manner, the user of a load carrier in accordance with the present invention may tilt the load carrier to its opening position and back by actuation via electrical switches.
In order to eliminate the risk that the load carrier tilts while the vehicle is moving, the current supply to the motor may be arranged such that the pin of the electric connector is under tension only when the vehicle is stationary.
In the cases when the load-carrier is arranged to be moved aside by means of pivoting, with a ball-shaped tow means as the pivot centre, the motor advantageously is a linear motor that is attached to the load carrier, and the linearly movable part of the motor preferably exerts its action against the shank of the tow bar, underneath the ball.
In other cases, when the load carrier is arranged to be moved aside owing to its load-receiving platform being arranged to turn relative to an attachment part mounted on the tow bar device, about a pivot axis located essentially adjacent the tow bar device, the motor advantageously is of the type having a rotating output shaft and is arranged on the load-receiving platform, said shaft acting via a reducing gear transmission against the attachment part mounted on the tow bar device.
In still other cases, when the load carrier is arranged to be moved aside owing to a part of the load-receiving platform with the load resting thereon being arranged to be folded upwards by pivoting about a pivot shaft located at the end of the load carrier remote from the tow bar device, the motor advantageously is of the type having a rotating output shaft, said motor being arranged on the non-foldable platform part and the output shaft of the engine being connected to the foldable platform part via a reducing gear transmission.